True Worth Of Income Is In Equitable Distribution

Every action has a reaction, however good or bad, right or wrong, visible or invisible. This is a law of Nature. Depending on the motivation and kind of action, the result could be beneficial or harmful. Whether the action was initiated out of greed or need, all processes have their own outcomes.

Lord Krishna in a Bhagavad Gita says: “Once has a right to perform tasks but is not at liberty to accrue the fruits of action”. Viewed in isolation, one could easily be tempted into believing that as a rule all ‘fruits of action are forbidden’. If an action has no outcome at all, there is something fundamentally wrong.

At a more universal level, activities and resultants are integrated and driven together by the same energy. Therefore, actions should find their fullest expression, be acknowledged for what value they add and made evident for their worth. A farmer sowing seeds and a businessman investing money ought to be able to reap returns in the natural course.

The crucial question then arises is: What does one do with those outcomes There seems to be a third factor coming in the form of ethics and principles that would have to balance with the need to possess, control, gratify and all the innate human attachments that come into play.

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The Gita adds that what one must renounce is the attachment associated with the fruit of action in order to always remain content and free from desire. Certain principles and values that form the basis for action and outcomes become even more important. There are references to Dharma or duty. Ageless practices like sharing, giving and charity are deeply rooted in such value based traditions that have served all along as prompters to even mundane action.

An evolved thinker who is no economist, development expert or entrepreneur once shared a thought with me that irrespective of the size of incomes and earnings “the pleasure of earning lies in its distribution”. In an age of interdependence and complexity it seems unfortunate to believe, out of context, that one should not act with the fruit of action in mind. Instead, may be one should work to achieve the fruits of action, without disrupting peace.

The whole focus then is on the principles, intent and goal all in one frame that guide everything rather than getting stuck in the trappings of attachment, ownership and avarice.

Today, there is a need to become responsible, truthful and efficient in all the many little things we do and become really useful as we serve others and ourselves. J R D Tata once said: “The wealth gathered by Jamsetji Tata and his sons in half a century of industrial pioneering formed but a minute fraction of the amount by which they enriched the nation.

The whole of that wealth is held in trust for the people and used exclusively for their benefit. The cycle is thus complete; what came back from the people has gone back to the people, many times over”. The pleasure in earning truly lies in its distribution.